Fast ends, feasting begins for Bohris

The city’s Dawoodi Bohras, popularly known as Bohri Muslims, have completed their 30 days of fasting, and will celebrate Ramzan Eid on Thursday.

While Bohris calculate the date of Eid in a preset lunar calendar, other Muslims in the city will celebrate the festival either on Friday or Saturday, depending on when they sight the moon.

“On the eve of Eid we fast during the night, and break it in the morning only after the khutba, an important namaz without which our Ramzan fasts don’t count,” said Munira Lakdawala (38), a businesswoman from Crawford Market, south Mumbai.

Like most Bohris, Lakdawala is also eagerly looking forward to the annual public sermon by the community’s spiritual leader Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, which will be streamed live in all city mosques. “He will pray for all of us in the sermon, and then we will get a chance to get a glimpse of him when his car passes from Bhendi Bazar,” said Lakdawala.

Bohris, like other Muslims, make plenty of non-vegetarian food and traditional sheerkhurma (milk-based sweet) on Eid.

“We will make several litres of sheerkhurma over the next few days to serve people who come to wish for Eid,” said Amena Zaveri (78), an Andheri resident.